An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a conductive substrate including an outer peripheral surface treated with a silazane; and a photosensitive layer on the outer peripheral surface of the conductive substrate. The photosensitive layer includes a charge generating material and a charge transporting material.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a conductive substrate and a single-layer-type photosensitive layer on the conductive substrate. The single-layer-type photosensitive layer contains a binder resin, a charge generating material, an electron transporting material, and a hole transporting material. The single-layer-type photosensitive layer has a concentration ratio (A/B) of 0.7 or more and 1.0 or less, where the concentration ratio (A/B) is a ratio of a concentration A of the electron transporting material relative to the binder resin measured from a surface of the photosensitive layer remote from the conductive substrate to a concentration B of the electron transporting material relative to the binder resin measured from a surface of the photosensitive layer close to the conductive substrate.

An image forming method in which a surface layer of an electrophotographic photosensitive member contains a compound having a specific structure in an amount of 0.1% to 10% by mass based on the total mass of the surface layer, and in a charged region of the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member charged in a charging step, a non-image forming region in which an electrostatic latent image is not formed is not irradiated with destaticizing light or is irradiated with reduced destaticizing light.

In a negatively-chargeable laminate-type electrophotographic photoreceptor, a charge generation layer and another charge transport layer are arranged on a conductive substrate directly or via an intermediate layer. The charge transport layer contains at least a hole-transporting substance, an electron-transporting substance and a binder resin; the mass ratio (R.sub.PN) [% by mass] between mass (P) of the hole-transporting substance and mass (N) of the electron-transporting substance is represented by the following equation (1), and satisfies the following equation (2):
R.sub.PN=(N/(P+N))100(1)
1R.sub.PN40(2); and
when a voltage of +6 kV is applied to the photoreceptor for 5 seconds via a resin sheet having a thickness of 50 m and a surface resistivity of 210.sup.7 /cm.sup.2, the surface potential difference (Vo) and half-tone potential difference (Vh) between before and after the voltage application are both 15 V or less.

An electrophotographic photosensitive member has a support, a charge generation layer, and a charge transport layer in this order, the charge transport layer containing a charge transport material. The charge transport layer is a surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member and contains a polycarbonate resin having a structural unit selected from group A and a structural unit selected from group B (groups A and B defined in the disclosure).

An electrophotographic photoreceptor is provided that can achieve reductions in the amount of wear in the photoreceptor surface while producing an excellent image on a long-term basis. Also provided are a method of producing the electrophotographic photoreceptor and an electrophotographic apparatus. The electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a conductive substrate; and a photosensitive layer provided on the conductive substrate and being composed of a resin having a molecular structure optimized using molecular dynamic calculations that is a helical structure, and having a value for a ratio r/I between the diameter (r) and helix pitch (I) of the helical structure that ranges from 0.04 to 1.0.

Provided are a process cartridge and an image-forming method each of which has a satisfactory cleaning property even at the initial stage of the use of a brand-new process cartridge or electrophotographic apparatus, and hence can suppress a reduction in image quality due to the contamination of a charging member. The charge transporting layer of an electrophotographic photosensitive member contains a specific polyarylate resin or polycarbonate resin, and a toner contains a specific fine particle on the surface of a toner particle.

A electrophotographic photoconductor is provided. The electrophotographic photoconductor includes a conductive support, an undercoat layer overlying the conductive support, and a photosensitive layer overlying the undercoat layer. The undercoat layer includes a metal oxide particle, binder resin, and a compound having a urea group.

An electrophotographic photoconductor includes a conductive support; and a photoconductive layer that contains at least a charge generation material, a hole transport material, an electron transport material and a binder resin, and that is provided on the conductive support, wherein the photoconductive layer has an outermost layer that contains a charge generation material, a hole transport material, an electron transport material, a binder resin and a highly branched polymer that is obtained by polymerizing, in the presence of a polymerization initiator, a monomer having, in a molecule, two or more radically polymerizable double bonds and a monomer having, in a molecule, a long-chain alkyl group or an alicyclic group and at least one radically polymerizable double bond. The electrophotographic photoconductor exhibits superior operational stability and stably high image quality, without problems with image memory, a contact member, or image defects due to cracks caused by contamination by oils/fats or sebum.

An electrophotographic photoconductor includes a conductive support; a charge generation layer provided on the conductive support; and a charge transport layer containing a charge transport material, a binder resin, and a highly branched polymer having a long-chain alkyl group or an alicyclic group, provided on the charge generation layer as an outermost layer. The electrophotographic photoconductor has excellent contamination resistance against sebum or the like, stable electrical characteristics even upon repeated use, as well as superior transfer resistance and gas resistance. A method for producing the electrophotographic photoconductor is disclosed, as well as an electrophotographic apparatus including the electrophotographic photoconductor.